Forty Thousand Brothers
by skygazing
Summary: Ginny was dead, and Ron's about to arrest Draco for her murder. So who is this redhead in Draco's house claiming she doesn't know Ron? DG postOotP rather AUHBP
1. The Chapter

(as always characters, world, etc belong to JKR…I just thought of the weird plot)

**Forty Thousand Brothers **

As the waves pounded against the shore and black thunderheads rolled in, she turned her face inland. Her feet trod deliberately on the tiny grains of sand that dissipated and dissolved into a line of gray concrete. It was very liberating: to be completely unsullied by memories and haunting visions. Yet, something deep down in the fibers of her being stirred. The knowing of things past and a desire for things to come lay dormant, waiting to be reawoken.

Her home overlooked the sea. However, since it sat above the rocky hills, the only way was indirect and round-about. Brushing her sandy shoes off on the welcome mat, she let herself into the large house. "Ray?" she poked her copper head into her husband's study.

He looked up from the paper he was intently studying and gave her a warm smile, "Have a good walk, love?" His smooth voice sent shivers down her spine, and she nodded. Scooting his chair away from the desk, he motioned for her to come. No convincing was required, and she quickly took her place on his lap. Her artistic fingers wove delicate patterns through his silky hair. She bent her head to his shoulder and brought his arm protectively around her waist.

Smiling to himself, he placed a gentle kiss on her forehead and leaned into her loving embrace.

"Jen," he murmured, what seemed like hours later.

"Mmm," she acknowledged.

"Are you tired? Do you want to go to bed? You're still getting better," she moved in what felt like a nod, and he bit back a quiet laugh. Carefully shifting, he brought her legs up with his free arm and stood. Her gentle breathing was the house's only sound, as the approaching storm blew out any power. After checking to see that she was asleep, he carefully maneuvered the top drawer of his mahogany desk open. Removing his wand, he flicked it, and with a whispered word, candles lit the way to a commanding main staircase. The scent of vanilla began to drift through the rooms, and he was amused that her favorite fragrance emerged from his magic.

A knock sounded at the door. His eyes narrowed. The familiar word was shouted, and the door sprung open "_Alohamora!_"

Of their own accord, his arms tightened around the sleeping woman in his arms. Two shadows were silhouetted against the newly opened doorway. Three other figures could be seen behind.

"Draco Malfoy," the tall and imposing man on the left spoke, his tone devoid of emotion, "You are under arrest for the kidnapping and murder of Ginevra Weasley,"

"Ray?" Jen was waking. "Honey, what's going on?"

Her voice froze all present. The candles sputtered as a breeze blew through the house, lifting her hair away from her face and casting it into the dancing shafts of light. A collective gasp was taken from the five members Magical Law Enforcement.

"Ginny?" one of the men stepped forward from behind.

Forcing herself to the ground, she stepped around her husband to more clearly see their visitors, "No." she said slowly. "My name is Jen. And this is my husband…Ray…Not your," she paused with a frown, "Draco Malfoy. Who are you, and why are you here?" Stepping back, she clasped Ray's hand.

All color drained from the man's face, "I'm Ron—your brother." He said incredulously. "We…you…you were dead,"

Her laughter rang through the house, "Dead? You must be mistaken, Mr. –"

"Weasley…" he supplied slowly.

"Mr. Weasley. For I am quite alive. And I believe you have the wrong person, for you cannot possibly be my brother, as I am an only child."

Only the woman's quick movement to step between her beloved and the stranger before her prevented Ron's fury being expressed in violence.

"What. In the name of all you ever held dear or sacred. Did you do to her." He spat.

"She can't remember," the man who was both Draco and Ray spoke quietly.

"_WHAT?!_ You bastard!" Not even Ginny's tears could stop Ron. "You wiped my _sister's_ memory and then left the damn country and let her family and friends think she was dead just so you and your bastard death eaters could enjoy her," he spat, "without interference."

"No—" Draco was given no chance to explain.

"_Recordatio_!"

Ginny's screams filled the air. She dropped to the ground, writhing in mental anguish. Scalding tears poured forth from her eyes as she relived memories, as she remembered.

_Hello Ginny Weasley. I am Tom Riddle._

"_I love Harry Potter."_

_Green flashes. Resounding cracks. Black robes. She was alone. She was captured. Harry would never know._

_The war. The Imperius curse. Killing muggles. Killing Colin._

"_Harry Potter is dead"._

_Forced 'love'. Forced sex. Nameless Death Eaters. Excruciating pain. Artificial pleasure._

_Screams. Strange screams. Her screams._

_Blood. So, so much blood. Her blood._

_Premature labor. A baby's wails. Her baby._

_Voldemort. "Crucio". "A-vad-a Ked-av-ra"._

_Her dead baby._

_Draco. His head on her stomach. His head on her scarred, naked stomach. His head on her barren womb. His tears on her skin._

"_Give me your wand"._

_The point digging into her temple. Her hand shaking. The wood drawing icy blood._

"_Oblivate"._

The world spun uncontrollably. Her head was splitting with an intensely primal pain; ceiling and floor wove and meshed together in an indescribable mass of black.

Feeling was the first sense to return. She was aware of a weight beside her, leaning over her. Sound came next; voices fading in and out. She wasn't sure whether they were near or far. Sight tried to force it's presence, but she wanted to remain in darkness. Opening her eyes to the light would be admitting the truth—admitting the past.

It was not her husband's voice she heard, coaxing her back to the present. It was the voice of her long absent brother.

"…Come on, Gin. I know I've been waiting for four years and another four hours isn't going to make much difference…but I really want you to hurry and wake up,"

"Ron?" she allowed her eyelids to flutter open.

"Ginny!" his voice spoke of immeasurable joy. An ear-splitting smile creased his face, and his eyes were limited to ecstatic slits. He wrapped his arms around her, and she thought he would never let go. A quiet tear slipped from her eye; the only acknowledgement she gave that she was glad at the reunion.

When they pulled apart, she turned to him, "Where's Ray?"

His face fell so visibly, she felt almost guilty asking after her husband.

"Draco is in confinement until we can take you both back to England. We have a warrant for his arrest, Gin," he massaged her hand, as though he wanted to reassure himself of her tangibility.

"I want to see him." She said, sitting up. "Now."

There was a ferocity behind her empty stare, and he could not refuse her.

Under the careful watch of both Ron and Neville, she was admitted to Draco's study. He was standing at the far window, leaning against the frame. His form was wearied and clearly showing strain.

"Ray," she whispered.

Turning, he met her gaze. He only made it two steps before she had flung herself into his waiting arms, quietly sobbing,

"I still love you. I love you more. They can't take you away; I need you."

It took considerable effort on his part to restrain his own emotions. Forcing his heart back to it's proper place in his chest, he cradled her.

All too soon Ron stepped forward and in a tone Ginny could now recognize as commanding, told her to come away. Lingering in Draco's embrace as long as she knew Ron would allow, Ginny reluctantly broke away. "I'll see you soon," he whispered, kissing her fingers.

As the door closed firmly behind her, Ginny leaned against it for support. She could feel Ron's hurt eyes penetrating her face. Slowly lifting her head, she met the brown orbs, "I know what you would say Ronald, and now is not the time. You are my brother," at this the tears arose again, "and I love you. But in returning yourself to me, you have torn me from the one man who has been my comforter and support. You have returned to my mind the reasons Ray found me screaming in my slumber. Do not ask me to thank you, not now."

With a step more leaden than Ron cared to see in one so dear, Ginny mounted the stairs. As she neared the top, her knees buckled and she reached for the railing to keep from tumbling to the landing.

"Ginny!" Ron rushed to her aid, looping an arm behind her back to steady her.

"Oh Ron, why did you have to find us? Why did you have to make me remember?"

Two months later to the date, Ginny prepared for Draco's trial before the Wizengamot. The weeks of agonizing debriefing with medical staff from St. Mungos, Aurors, and her family had left her but a shadow of the person Draco had loved in California. She had answered all of their questions dutifully and listened stoically as they told her what happened since her "death" five years prior.

_What happened when you were captured by the Death Eaters?_

What didn't happen. She was imprisoned by the Imperius curse, too weak to withstand. It was she who had left Colin's mutilated body at the side of the Thames, leaving Harry without one of his most trusted allies and bodyguards. By the time they killed Harry, her use in battle had dissipated. So they took everything that remained. Her body was battered beyond recognition but she managed to carry a child to full term. As she lay weak and bruised, her blood pooling and growing cold on the table, she watched Voldemort take her son and kill him.

_When did Draco Malfoy come?_

How much time had passed between the death of her son and Draco's presence? Perhaps hours or days. There were no windows and not a soul had entered in the interim.

_What did Mr. Malfoy do?_

Here, she faltered. He had come to kill her, but he could not.

_Why not?_

What right had they to pry into her life like this? She and Draco had by some chance become friends during their last years at Hogwarts. No one knew. She had not seen him since the day they disembarked from the Hogwarts Express two years before her capture.

_How was your memory oblivated?_

When he would not kill her, Ginny demanded his wand and oblivated her memory.

There was always silence after she said that.

_Why did you go with Mr. Malfoy?_

She did not know anyone else. He was there when she finally woke up. He said she had no family, but that he loved her. So she trusted him. He proved himself worthy of that trust as time passed. He comforted her as she wept for the memories lost. They married three years ago. Before she awoke in Switzerland after the unconsciousness that followed her powerful obliviation, he had healed her to the best of his abilities. Some wounds were beyond his skill, however, and as time passed without conception, they discovered that she could not carry a child.

_Do you want to know what happened here?_

No. This world in which she grew up had lost its glamour. It was magic that destroyed her. Magic caused her to kill one of her best friends. Magic led to scars that would never heal. Yes, magic had saved her from remembering, but magic had also returned to her those nightmares. Her family had changed while she was gone. Deaths, marriages. These names that once came so fluently to her lips now tangled and grew confused. Fred, or was it George? had married and lived up north. Percy died, of that she was sure. Her mother doted as she always did. More so, rather, for her daughter had been lost a very long time. Voldemort had been vanquished, of course. Ron was in line to become Minister of Magic.

Ginny listened patiently, but she could not care. When the trial was over, for better or worse, she would leave England and the wizarding world behind.

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**1-8-07** I was bored one day over Christmas break so I decided to resurrect this story. Wow, how random is that? It's almost done, but it's almost 1am and I have class tomorrow, so you'll have to wait a little while for the end. Little while actually meaning a couple days ;)

It was going to be a one shot until I couldn't figure out how to end it, so there are two endings, both of which I like and will be posted simultaneously.

Oh and _recordatio_ is simply Latin for "remember".


	2. The Sad Ending

**Ending One**

She did not see Draco until the day of the trial. The Head Auror investigating the case had requested that she testify, otherwise she would not have witnessed the closed trial. Waiting with the Wizengamot for the prisoner's arrival quite possibly posed the most nerve-wrecking fifteen minutes of her life.

When Draco entered, carefully guarded by Aurors and Untouchables, her breath caught. This was it. Her husband's life hung in a precarious balance inclined toward death.

Five hours later, Ginny realized that the Minister of Magic was deliberating and preparing to issue a verdict. After her testimony early in the trial, she had blocked herself off from the sounds around her, unable to listen to the seemingly throes of men and women who appeared to condemn the man who saved her.

Shaking her head, she caught the tail end of the Minister's sentence, "…of kidnapping Miss Weasley," she bristled at the name. Why wouldn't anyone acknowledge her marital status? "we find Mr. Malfoy not guilty. The charge of murder has become moot as Miss Weasley is clearly still alive. However, this pardon does not change the incontrovertible fact that Mr. Malfoy was in fact a Death Eater and participated in the Dark Lord's scheme to overthrow the Ministry and rules established by the Wizarding world. We find the accused guilty of treason, accomplice in the Dark Lord's crimes against humanity. Mr. Malfoy, as an established Death Eater, you are hereby sentenced to death to occur two days henceforth."

Ginny's head spun, and she had to fight to remain conscious. Before the room stopped swimming, Draco had already been led away and the Wizengamot had begun to depart. Throwing aside all propriety, Ginny pushed through the small crowd to the Minister.

"Excuse me, excuse me, Minister…Minister please, may I speak with you?"

Bowing a stern face toward the woman who had arisen at his side, he spoke, "Yes, Miss Weasley?"

"I'm not here to ask for an appeal or a retrial. I know that your decision is final. But please, will you allow me to visit my husband. The guards of Azkaban have told me for the last two months that no one is allowed to visit accused Death Eaters. Well, he's not accused anymore. Regardless of what you think of him, I love him with everything I am, and to be parted so without even having the chance to say goodbye," she stopped before the tears could overwhelm her voice.

After a long silence, the Minister replied, "You shall be granted one visit, Miss Weasley. You must relinquish your wand before entering Azkaban and submit to detection charms. Your brother, Ronald, will attend you during the entire visit. While your plea was heartfelt, even you cannot deny that a woman about to lose the man she loves will resort to desperate means to save him."

"No sir," she replied quietly, glancing at Ron who had stepped in at the mention of his name.

The next morning, Ginny and Ron set out for Azkaban. Since it had been so long since her last Apparition, they travelled by broomstick. She relished the cold air whipping around her face and pulling strands of hair loose from the band behind her head. The numbing effect of the wind propelled her through the security precautions, and with an anxious heart she and Ron descended into the bowels of Azkaban.

At the end of the last hallway, a door stood securely charmed, even featuring a Muggle lock for extra protection. Ginny stepped into the dank chamber, elated to finally be able to hold the man she could now remember as her saving grace.

Draco looked up from the floor in surprise. The clock-setting breakfast had already taken place, and it could not yet be time for tea. When his eyes lit on Ginny, the impervious mask slipped away. Innumerable emotions passed across his brow as he relived the horror of her memories' return, the pain of separation, the emptiness of impending death, the joy of her presence. A lifetime would not have been long enough to express all they had to say.

They had been sitting on the floor for near an hour, heads bent together and hands entwined. Ron shuffled in the doorway, anxious to leave. It baffled his mind to see his sister with Draco Malfoy, and when he sat back to think (which, as Hermione noted, happened rarely), he realized that the idea of his baby sister loving someone more than her family burned deeply. "Come on, Ginny. We should go."

As she leaned into the last embrace she would ever receive from his arms, the tears finally escaped her eyes, mingling with the hair that had grown long at his neck.

"Don't cry, my love," he whispered, "as you have dwelt in my heart, so also shall I be in yours."

Seeking his mouth, she poured her love and strength into the kiss, hoping it would sustain him through the next morning. With his free hand he wiped the tears away and led her slowly to the door.

"Take care of her today, Weasley," a severe mask slid back into place as Draco swallowed the emotion that threatened to grow in the back of his throat.

"She's my _sister_, Malfoy." Even Ginny's presence could not keep the venom from Ron's voice.

"You've much to learn, Weasley. Pity I can't be around to show you." A smile escaped, directed at Ginny. "I have loved you, Jen. Forty thousand brothers could not with all their quantity of love make up my sum. I would not wish you to follow me, much as you should desire it."

"I would have followed you. But I will earn this gift of life you gave me, and cherish it."

Led by a very bewildered Ron, Ginny stepped back and allowed the door to close. She spent the remainder of the day in a daze. Although Molly urged her repeatedly to go to bed, she could not sleep that night and simply sat at the hearth staring at the flames that danced before her eyes. As the first beams of sunlight entered the room, Ginny realized the day had begun. It was time to return to the Ministry.

The silence echoed as Draco Malfoy approached the last hallway he would walk. Standing next to Ron, Ginny stood shrouded in black but with her head high. She caught Draco's eye and their gaze held fast. As he whispered "I love you", the first and last tear she saw escape the penetrating stronghold of his grey eyes made its way unhindered down his cheek. Visibly restraining her own tears, Ginny brought her wedding ring to her lips and then clasped her hands over her heart. All too soon the procession turned around the bend that carried her husband from sight. She thought her heart had stopped, and she slumped to the floor with a gasp.

"I can't breathe, Ron. I can't breathe." She choked. "Take me outside."

If she never moved again, she would not start crying until out of Draco's hearing.

Stepping into the mocking sunlight brought all her defenses crashing down, and Ginny fell against her brother.

A week later Ginevra Weasley left the Burrow and took a Muggle bus to London. After three hours, Jennifer Black boarded a flight to San Jose, California, through Los Angeles. She checked no bags and carried only her purse and a long, rectangular box. While she flippantly stowed her purse in the overhead compartment, the box lay on her lap through the duration of the flight.

One of her neighbors on the plane asked what was so special, and she replied that it was something of her husband's.

On the lid in a mother's affectionate scrawl, Jen read "Water twice a week. Plant in ground when 1 meter tall."

Even before entering her house, Jen took her box along with a recently purchased pot, potting soil, and watering can into the garage. Flipping the light switch, she prepared the pot, and after digging a hole with her fingers, opened the box. She merely gazed at Draco's wand for a few moments before placing the shards and broken pieces in the hole. Before her daughter left, Molly had charmed the wood to grow into a healthy tree. Jen hoped it wouldn't take too long. Once she had planted the tree safely in the ground, she moved a small table and chair next to it, frequently taking her morning coffee outside.

"Now that I think about it, you weren't too careful about weilding this powerful bit of wood, were you, Ray," she murmured one afternoon, sitting in the shade of her robust tree. Rubbing her favorite vanilla lotion into her palms, she glanced up at the branches above her head. "Thank you for your strength. I'll be strong, for you, Ray."

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Draco and Ginny's last conversation featured an assortment of references… Saving Private Ryan, Lord of the Rings, Hamlet (the 40 thousand brothers part…which I threw in there because that's what the title is. I don't remember why I originally picked that, and I don't have any better ideas now, so it's staying :-P)


	3. The Happy Ending

(please note that this is an alternate ending to the previous "chapter")**  
**

**Ending Two **

She had not seen Draco since she left him standing in his study. Being a certifiable Death Eater, he was restricted to a hidden and unplottable cell of Azkaban. No visitors. Although the trial was closed to the public, Ginny waited in the hall of the Ministry. She hated the torches on the wall, halfway expecting the orange flames to turn green at any second.

Finally, the prisoner, carefully guarded by Aurors and Untouchables, appeared at the end of the hallway. As they approached, Ginny pulled her necklace out from under her black jumper. The first and only argument she'd had with her mother was over the wedding ring. Molly refused to acknowledge her daughter's marriage. Lacking the energy to fight with her, Ginny slid the ring from her finger, but in the privacy of her room restored it on a chain around her neck.

Draco's heart lifted at the sight of Ginny but then sank again at recognizing the expression on her face as the same stony resignation he had seen in Voldemort's chamber. Their eyes met, and time stood still. Placing the ring on its proper finger, Ginny unhooked the chain. She dropped it into her purse and pulled out her long-unused wand. Touching the base of her finger she spoke a binding charm; faint blue and yellow sparks circled the ring before fading into the air. Her left hand rose and grasped the tip of her wand. Swallowing visibly, Draco acknowledged the significance of her next movement.

The footsteps stopped, and the only sound in the corridor was the resounding crack as Ginny's wand broke in two.

Ron looked at her with a furrowed brow. Taking his hand, she spoke, "Goodbye Ron. You've mourned me once, no need to mourn again."

Nodding at Draco, she turned and walked away.

The waves pounded against the shore as the sun made its gradual descent to the horizon. A heavy breath escaped her lips; it was good to be home. After drawing meaningless lines in the sand, she twisted the ring on her finger. It had been a week since the trial. Having cut herself off from the wizarding world, she did not know the outcome. If Draco had been freed, he would know where to find her. If not…well, this was her home now.

Rushing sand muffled the sound of another figure approaching behind and then sliding to the sand at her side.

Not daring to breathe, she slowly turned her head turned to identify the newcomer. As her glance met the familiar grey eyes made strangely foggy, she wasted no time clinging to her husband with every fiber of her being.

"I thought you were gone," she choked.

"I'm sorry I couldn't be with you," he ran his fingers comfortingly along her spine.

The sun passed beneath the watery line between sea and sky before they moved or spoke again.

"Are you ready to go home?" he finally asked. She nodded against his shoulder, but then sat back,

"You mean here, right?"

He smiled ruefully, "Well, seeing as the Wizengamot broke my wand and suggested I not return if I value breathing, yes, here."

Her face fell slightly at his first words, "You weren't pardoned?"

With a small shake of his head, he squeezed her hand, "No. But I'm just thankful to be alive."

"I wish they didn't have to break your wand." It was one thing to discard magic of your own accord; it was quite another to have it taken from you without choice.

"What would I do with a wand," he kissed the back of her hand as they began the gradual ascent toward their home, "when the most important person in my life doesn't use one. They just saved me the trouble of causing a fuss, like you did."

"Oh, Ray," Jen smiled.

The rediscovered pain behind her eyes would not soon fade; the nightmares would return. This time, however, she knew what happened in the end. Someone would be there as she tossed restlessly in her sleep, and his soothing voice would return her to calmer dreams.

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The End(s).

Neither is quite perfect. I think it more likely that Draco would have been convicted, but I like their return in this ending better than her with the tree. Hopefully the characters are fairly consistent throughout. I hope you enjoyed and were entertained. At any rate I had fun writing it :)

Let me know which ending you liked better. Thanks for reading and reviewing!!


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